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peripheral posts

Xbox 360 802.11n adapter rebirths on Costco site, ships November 10th for $88

by Ross Miller posted Nov 5th 2009 at 4:54PM

You can't keep a phoenix down and this Xbox 360 wireless n adapter seems to be a bird of similar feather. After discretely showing up on US retail sites and subsequently managing to drop off into internet obscurity, the 802.11n-compliant peripheral has returned to the scene via Costco's site, this time with a November 10th shipping date and a more attractive than before $88 price tag. With only five days until the 10th, will this finally be the price and date that stick? Who knows -- but at least this time we won't have to wait long to find out.

[Thanks, WeakSasco]

Thrustmaster T-Freestyle NW is your next Wii skate / snowboard controller

by Darren Murph posted Nov 5th 2009 at 11:41AM

Too broke to pay Tony Hawk's royalties on a Wii skateboard / snowboard? Yeah, we feel you, and evidently Thrustmaster does too. Said peripheral outfit has just introduced its newest Wii accessory, the T-Freestyle NW. Designed with work with any skate or snowboard game that lands on Nintendo's money-maker, the board is crafted from genuine maple and sports a totally stereotypical "skull" design on the top. There's also a safety stopper to prevent any sort of toppling disaster, and best of all, this thing will be available at the end of the month for just $29.99. Gnarly, dude.

Gallery: Thrustmaster T-Freestyle NW is your next Wii skate / snowboard controller

Continue reading Thrustmaster T-Freestyle NW is your next Wii skate / snowboard controller

SplitFish Dual SFX Frag Pro pairs button-enriched mouse with 'fragchuck,' ships November 10

by Vladislav Savov posted Oct 21st 2009 at 5:55AM

For those of you not paying attention in class, SplitFish is a peripherals maker that, true to its name (or half its name, anyway), offers PS3 controllers that split the left and right hand controls into separate parts. The Dual SFX Frag Pro, its latest, comes with a 2,000dpi laser mouse to tempt those last few PC gamer holdouts to the dark side of consoles, and a three shoulder button-equipped directional pad for navigation. What can we say, it looks weird as hell, but the more we thought about it, the more we wanted to get our hands on a set to see just how games played with this unorthodox control scheme. Should you share our interest, you'll also want to know that pre-orders are being taken now for a cent under $90 in the US or a penny short of £80 in the UK, and shipping starts November 10.

[Via SlashGear]

Texas Instruments CC2540 promises ultra-low energy Bluetooth

by Vladislav Savov posted Oct 19th 2009 at 7:18AM

Texas Instruments is pretty chuffed with itself right about now, as it's prepping to demonstrate a swell-sounding new system-on-chip that takes Bluetooth connectivity to the extreme reaches of low energy consumption. About to be shown off in Munich tomorrow, the new CC2540 takes up a measly 6mm-squared of real estate, and is said to be able to operate for more than a year on a single button cell battery. With the reduced physical size and embedded Flash memory, this should be easier to install and update as necessary too. Considering the battery-draining ways of current Bluetooth tech, such claims sound preposterously awesome, but we'll keep our giddy enthusiasm in check until early next year when samples will begin rolling out. For now, you can check out the older video below 'splaining the prospective benefits in more detail.

Read - Texas Instruments press release
Read - Bluetooth low energy webpage
Read - Video explanation of Bluetooth low energy

Nyko Wii Wands get a dash of color

by Vladislav Savov posted Oct 16th 2009 at 6:36AM

Just as Nintendo finally decides to bring some of that noir goodness over to the US, Nyko pops up with no less than four new colorways for its Wand Wii remote. We're no anthropologists here, but we reckon one of these new options will do a lot better in sales than the other three. All the same, with Nintendo furnishing Japan with blue and pink Wiimotes, Nyko has played it safe and followed suit. These should be hitting Walmart right about now with an MSRP of $29.99, so look out for them at your next government-sponsored Wii bowl-a-thon.

Gallery: Nyko Wii Wands get a dash of color

Band Hero's revamped drums coming in November bundle, very limited exclusive for Wii

by Ross Miller posted Sep 30th 2009 at 2:44AM

Guitar Hero drummers who wondered whatever happened to that revamped set we spied months ago can finally sleep more soundly at night, although while still probably tapping out "Sweating Bullets" in their dreams. The cats at IGN got some hands-on time with the new gear, and while there's no physical pics to show for it, they do report being happy with the overall design and its smaller, but still capable frame. The peripheral is reportedly due in a Band Hero Super Bundle for Nintendo Wii this November. It's a limited exclusive for the console, meaning the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 packages will include the standard Guitar Hero drums until "sometime later this year." That leaves at most seven weeks of lead time -- not too long, but in the precious time before Christmas, it's probably quite the coup.

Mad Catz Modern Warfare 2 peripherals break cover, reveal pricing

by Vladislav Savov posted Sep 11th 2009 at 4:34AM

You should already have a pretty good idea of what extra sauce Mad Catz will be bringing to Modern Warfare 2's November 10 release, but here are some up close and personal snaps of the hardware anyway. Monochromatic camo patterns -- all the rage in that war-torn near-future world -- are evident throughout and will cost you a cent under $50 for either of the Xbox 360 or PS3 Combat Controllers, the Combat Keyboard or Sniper Mouse, or a cool hundred for the Elite Keyboard with a blood-red backlight. And if you want to spruce up your current hardware, gamepad faceplates and Xbox 360 Skinz will be available for $15 and $30, respectively. Feeling like a badass comes as a free extra.

Gallery: Mad Catz Modern Warfare 2 peripherals

[Via Joystiq]

Video: Retractible wireless Rock Band / Guitar Hero controller perfect for the five-button shredder on the go

by Ross Miller posted Aug 31st 2009 at 9:53PM

Guitar Hero and Rock Band's plastic axes aren't exactly behemoths in their own right, but if you need something even tinier, little-known game accessories company NEXiLUX looks to have a more portable solution in the works. The video for its mini guitar isn't the clearest, but from we can see, the body is about the same size as the retracted neck, which expands from behind the touch-sensitive pads to reveal the infamous quintet of colored buttons. D-pad, navigation buttons, whammy bar, and pickup selection have all survived the compression, and to make each unit as universal as possible, there's a switch on the bottom for choosing between either Guitar Hero for Wii or Rock Band for Wii, PlayStation 2, and PS3. Both black and white models are seen here, but there's no mention either in-video or on the company's website of price or release date. See it for yourself after the break.

[Thanks, Floyd]

Continue reading Video: Retractible wireless Rock Band / Guitar Hero controller perfect for the five-button shredder on the go

Screen Grabs: DJ Hero makes cameo in Kid Cudi video, comes back full circle

by Ross Miller posted Aug 5th 2009 at 10:21PM

Screen Grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today's movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dt com.

Something very peculiar popped up while we were watching Kid Cudi's "Make Her Say" music video. Just as the song is winding down, Mr. Cudi (also known as Scott Mescudi) can be seen "air scratching" while someone in the above frame takes the pantomime one step further with DJ Hero's turntable peripheral. The connection runs much deeper, though: the song was produced by Kanye West, whose rise to fame arguably came when he produced Jay-Z's critically acclaimed album The Blueprint... and Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, in turn, happens to be one of the two artists (along with Eminem) promoting DJ Hero. Funny how that works out. Video after the break, and jump to the 3:03 mark if all you really want is another glimpse of the controller.

[Thanks, Laxuo and AG Beast]

Continue reading Screen Grabs: DJ Hero makes cameo in Kid Cudi video, comes back full circle

Easy Piano title lets DS Lite users tickle the ivory

by Darren Murph posted Jul 31st 2009 at 9:07AM

We know that DSi of yours is all the rage, but you did hang on to that DS / DS Lite, didn't you? Phew. Starting this November in Europe and other PAL regions, you'll have a remarkably good excuse to bust that unit back out, as this new peripheral looks to require that all-but-forgotten GBA slot. At any rate, the title (which goes by Easy Piano in case you glossed over the headline) will allow players to bang out masterpieces such as Bittersweet Symphony, Every Breath You Take and Pachelbel's Canon on the 8-note, full-octave keyboard accessory. All told, 40 songs will be made available, and there's even a "creation mode" that enables owners to record up to four 3-minute-long jams. Now, if only we had a North American price and release date to pencil in, we'd be all set.

[Via Joystiq]

Infinity Ward lending a hand on Modern Warfare 2 controller?

by Darren Murph posted Jul 21st 2009 at 9:14AM

Time Crisis fans fully understand the awesomeness of a good gun when playing a gun-based title, so those very gamers will likely grasp the significance of Robert Bowling's Modern Warfare 2-related tweet. Just yesterday, the Infinity Ward employee made clear that he was "in a design meeting for a Modern Warfare 2 controller," and he sought the input of the Twitterverse regarding "concave or convex grips for the analog sticks." If you'll recall, this title can already be secured with an actual pair of night vision goggles, so tossing in some sort of rifle or semiautomatic weapon would just sweeten the pot even further -- chances are, though, this is just gonna be modeled after the plain jane Xbox 360 pad. When contacted by our pals over at Joystiq, Bowling wouldn't elaborate much, only noting that the controller "isn't being manufactured by [Infinity Ward] or [Activision]." So, that means it is being manufactured though, right?

[Via Joystiq]

Tony Hawk: RIDE's skateboard peripheral turning white before launch

by Ross Miller posted Jul 16th 2009 at 3:25PM

We certainly didn't mind that the Tony Hawk: RIDE board we played at E3 had a charcoal coloring, and that goes double for our feet. Apparently that sentiment isn't shared by the game's director Josh Tsui, who told GamesIndustry.biz that it'll be launched in a "more consumer friendly... [and] iPod-like" white color, which in our minds all but guarantees someone out there's gonna mistake this for a new version of the Wii balance board. Tsui's not shy with praise either, calling the board "the most advanced peripheral on the market." Ultimately, the color isn't gonna matter to us, and with a board-compatible sequel rumored to already be in the works, there's plenty of time to re-release the peripheral in all sorts of attractive palettes -- that'd of course be very iPod-like.

[Via Joystiq]

Guitar Hero 5's drums getting a Rock Band makeover?

by Ross Miller posted Jul 6th 2009 at 3:47PM

Looks like that bulky Guitar Hero World Tour drumset might be getting itself an extreme makeover in time for the launch of Guitar Hero 5. According to our source, the blurred render above is the newest plastic percussion peripheral, and while functionality remains the same, it's moved the control console to the forefront, given the cymbals a more well-rounded existence, and done away with some of that body, particularly on the top and on the stand -- all in a all, a much more Rock Band look, if we do say so ourselves. The back of the unit contains three mini ports -- two for kick pedals, and one ever mysterious black mini jack. Yeah, Rock Band's drums have that mysterious unused port, too, and who knows what nefarious needs either will serve. What's suspicious is that it's two months before GH5's release and we still haven't seen this officially, whereas the previous set was ceremoniously unveiled almost six months prior to GHWT's launch -- not that we wouldn't put it past Activision to keep it under lock and key for now, but why not let its newfound beauty shine?

Mad Catz's wireless Fender Rock Band bass to ship soon

by Darren Murph posted May 29th 2009 at 11:41AM

Just when you'd given up all hope that Mad Catz would ever ship its Fender Precision Bass for Rock Band, in flies this. If you'll recall, said axe was originally introduced to the world in September of last year, and with a certain Beatles-inspired bass set to ship in the ninth month of this year, Mad Catz obviously felt the time was right to cease its dilly-dallying. According to company CEO Darren Richardson, the wireless Fender bass for Rock Band will ship "later this month," which should mean that it'll be hitting store shelves over the weekend. In related news, the company has inked a multi-year licensing agreement with Microsoft that will allow it to "manufacture, market and sell Xbox 360-branded wireless specialty videogame controllers." Fun for them, yeah?

Personal Trainer: Walking gets release date, price, shin splints

by Joseph L. Flatley posted May 20th 2009 at 10:43AM

We know you've been eagerly awaiting the release of Nintendo's Personal Trainer: Walking for the Nintendo DS and DSi. Look, there's no need to play coy: We've caught you circling the block in your new track suit, psyching yourself up for all the fun (and fitness!) you'll be having once you get your hands on those patented Nintendo Activity Meters. According to the company, this bad boy is up for pre-order now and will finally be available for sale on May 26, at a suggested retail price of $49.99. Sweet, huh? Soon you'll be recording every step that you make, transferring the data to your handheld, parsing the stats, and transforming yourself from a slovenly couch potato into the veritable icon of fitness -- and all with the help of your favorite handheld. Welcome to the future... it's fabulous!